       Document 0691
 DOCN  M9610691
 TI    Empirical estimation of a distribution function with truncated and
       doubly interval-censored data and its application to AIDS studies.
 DT    9601
 AU    Sun J; Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of;
       Waterloo, Ontario Canada.
 SO    Biometrics. 1995 Sep;51(3):1096-104. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96054349
 AB    In this paper we discuss the non-parametric estimation of a distribution
       function based on incomplete data for which the measurement origin of a
       survival time or the date of enrollment in a study is known only to
       belong to an interval. Also the survival time of interest itself is
       observed from a truncated distribution and is known only to lie in an
       interval. To estimate the distribution function, a simple
       self-consistency algorithm, a generalization of Turnbull's (1976,
       Journal of the Royal Statistical Association, Series B 38, 290-295)
       self-consistency algorithm, is proposed. This method is then used to
       analyze two AIDS cohort studies, for which direct use of the EM
       algorithm (Dempster, Laird and Rubin, 1976, Journal of the Royal
       Statistical Association, Series B 39, 1-38), which is computationally
       complicated, has previously been the usual method of the analysis.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*MORTALITY/*TRANSMISSION  Algorithms
       Biometry  Bisexuality  Cohort Studies  Drug Contamination
       Hemophilia/THERAPY  Homosexuality, Male  Human  HIV
       Seropositivity/EPIDEMIOLOGY  HIV-1  Male  Mathematics  *Models,
       Statistical  Ontario  Probability  *Survival Analysis  Survival Rate
       Time Factors  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

